Will You be My Sweetheart?
by LadyAlambiel
Summary: Will you be my sweetheart?


Disclaimer: I don't own Narnia or any characters you may recognize from the books or the movies, I wish I did but I don't...

Summary: Will you be my sweetheart?

A/N: This is set in my _A Light in the Darkness_ universe, but this oneshot can be read as a standalone fic.

**Will You be My Sweetheart?**

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Frank grinned down at his firstborn. A fine lad, he was. Looked even better now that he wasn't all red and wrinkly. Well, he wasn't wrinkly, in any case; he could still make himself quite red with his hearty bellows. A week old and still a fine, chubby lad. Frank still swore he weighed close to a stone.

He was quiet now, thank Aslan, and his latest fussing hadn't wakened his mother either. Frank glanced over at the bed where his Nellie girl was sleeping. He knew she was missing her mother terribly, even though Father Christmas had been a right brick in taking her letter home, especially when she first felt her pains. Praying that his son would stay asleep, Frank carefully lowered him into the sturdy and intricately carved cradle (one of the Fauns, young chap by the name of Silvius had carved the most wondrous scenes of the birth of Narnia) at the foot of their bed. The lad stayed fast asleep, allowing Frank to move as silently as he could to Nellie's side.

Bending over, he tugged the plush eiderdown up to fully cover Nellie's shoulders then brushed a strand of silky brown hair back from her face and lightly kissed her cheek. Nellie murmured his name then rolled over onto her other side, snuggling against his pillow. Slipping out the door, Frank nodded to the She-Otter who was busy with her beadwork then hurried down Cair Paravel's still-bustling halls (the wonders a chap could see when surrounded by the creatures who preferred the nighttime hours), nodding in reply to greetings and stopping almost constantly to answer various questions regarding his son and Nellie's well-being. Still, he was quite glad to finally reach his destination. After all, he'd never get the chance to enact his plan if he never got the chance to tell it to someone.

The council room was filled almost completely with various Narnians, including most of the Narnians who had aided his Nellie when she decorated the Cair for their first Christmas. The Narnians who had been visiting with each other all quieted and the Centauress Electra readied her quill to take notes (the old girl definitely knew how to be a right proper scribe) when he entered. Frank nodded, "Thank you for coming all of you. I'd like your help in organizing another ball, and this one's special since it's for Valentine's Day."

A young Hind stepped forward, her voice soft and her large leaf-shaped ears swiveling back and forth, and asked, "Please, Your Majesty, but what is Valentine? Why does it have a day? Is it like Christmas?"

"Well, he was a saint…" Frank trailed off as he realized it would be more than a little foolish to expect Narnians to celebrate a day named after a saint when there were no saints in Narnia and not everything from the world of the Sons and Daughters of Adam and Eve was meant to come to this fresh, new world. He mulled over it for a bit more then grinned. "Well, you see it's not the name that's important. What's really important is the celebration of having your sweetheart by your side or her letting you be by her side. It is a celebration of having the love of your wife and sweetheart."

A Zebra shook his head, causing the stiff black and white mane to sway, as he interrupted, "A sweetheart _and_ a mate?"

Frank laughed as he waved his hands, "No, no, my friends. The only ones who have a sweetheart in addition to a mate are those who do not care for Aslan's ways and are extremely foolish. I knew a chap who had a sweetheart in addition to his wife. When they found out about each other, they took turns shooting him." He shuddered as he recalled yet another reason he didn't miss his days as a cabby (not that being a king was an easy task for a chap by any stretch of the imagination, not if he was doing it right). "No, it's not Aslan's way for us to have more than one wife or a sweetheart in addition to your wife. So this celebration of sweethearts and love takes place on the fourteenth of February, umm, that is Snowbrice. It's marked by flowers, roses if one can manage it or simply your sweetheart's favorite flower, and chocolate and ribbons and the colors red and pink and white and decorations fashioned to look like hearts, that sort of thing. A ball with, uh, dancing and music, much like how we celebrated Christmas Day. Oh and no one is to breathe a word of this to my wife."

The Narnians exchanged looks with each other, but it was the Zebra who once again voiced their collective question. "We are to deceive Queen Helen?"

"No, Idir, I want this to be a surprise. A complete surprise and she's still recuperating from having our son, so it is merely the matter of not mentioning the preparations to her or where she might hear about it."

Now the collection of Narnians began to nod and smile. Frank only stayed a little bit longer, trying to explain as best he could the decorations and food he recalled being associated with the holiday (in the country more than that of London). Finally, he took his leave, confident in the Narnians' enthusiasm for creating a surprise for their beloved Queen, and went to check on Nellie and young Frank. They were both still asleep and Frank allowed himself to recall how long it had been since he'd had time to give his sweet Nellie a proper gift for Valentine's Day, not since he had left for London to be honest. The last Valentine's Day in England he'd left before sunrise and bundled himself and Strawberry against the cold then spent all day and most of the night toting the fine gentlemen and ladies to and from their various parties. He'd come home to find a puzzle purse valentine, which Nellie had filled with her pretty verses (some from the Good Book, that Solomon chap certainly knew how to put words together to express the love between a fella and his lass, some from a little book of poetry her mother had given her, and some she'd written herself), waiting for him. He had run out of their little flat and found a girl who sold flowers, buying the last rather sad-looking primrose in her basket. It wasn't much, but Nellie had acted like he'd given her a flower wrought from silver and gold. She was a sweet treasure, no doubt.

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Eleven days later, Frank could barely contain his excitement to see Nellie's reaction to the surprise. He had forced himself not to mention anything of import happening on the fourteenth day of Snowbrice, but young Frank had kept his mother so busy that she didn't even have time or energy to mention it herself. He smiled at his pretty wife and queen as he escorted down the hall. Nellie's eyes were full of curiosity as she asked, "What did I forget, Frank?"

He patted her hand. "Nothing, Nellie. Just a nice dinner and dance, if you feel up to it, lass. All the ladies of the court, and a goodly number of the lads too, worked to put this together so you could focus on recovering your strength. Yaen will take good care of young Frank. Lad's fast asleep, remember, you just settled him yourself."

Nellie seemed slightly hesitant, but then she smiled. "All right."

Frank nodded; after all, the female Ostrich had assured them both that she would summon them if young Frank woke and had need of Nellie. He never would have imagined an Ostrich as a caretaker for his son, but then again he had never thought to see old Strawberry sprout wings and be named Fledge, the father of all winged horses. That was the beauty of Narnia. Leading his own personal beauty into the Great Hall of Cair Paravel, Frank relished the look of shock and wonder in her brown eyes as she covered her mouth with her free hand. The Narnians who had gathered there beamed at them, well, they beamed at his Nellie. Then they thundered, "Happy Sweethearts' Day, Queen Helen!" The raucous noise as the assorted creatures applauded in their own way, stamping hooves, pounding paws, clapping hands, or simply roaring and howling their approval at his Nellie's obvious surprise.

She lowered her hand, smiling prettily as she thanked their subjects. Then she turned to him, her eyes still filled with wonder, as she gestured to the crowd and the various decorations. "You did this?"

He nodded then handed her a delicate bouquet of roses and primroses, stealing a kiss as he did so. "Well, I might have explained the idea behind the holiday. But, it was really our people who did it and they have made it their own, as suits Narnia."

Nellie looked around again then raised an eyebrow. "Sweethearts' Day?"

Frank chuckled, "All I said was it was a day for celebrating having a sweetheart. They named it themselves. After all, a saint's name wasn't really appropriate here in this new world. I figured the name wasn't important and fell under what Aslan told us about things, trappings and such, that we needed to leave behind in the old world. What was really important was the meaning of the celebration."

Nellie hid her smile as she smelled the bouquet. "It's wonderful, Frank. Truly, it is."

Grinning, Frank bowed and held out his hand. "Then would you consent to be my sweetheart, Nellie?"

She blushed, the twin blooms of pink painting her cheeks in a most fetching manner, and laughed softly. "Always, Frank, always."

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**A/N: Please Read and Review! The story of how Narnia's Sweethearts' Day came to be and more Frank and Helen fluff just in time for Valentine's Day. I hope you are enjoying the fluff! :D Leave a review and let me know what y'all thought about this one. **

**ATTENTION!**

**Attention anyone who is a member of the Narnia Still Lives forum! The nominations for the Narnia Still Lives Fanfic Awards 2013 are underway. Please nominate those stories and authors who stood out with their writing in 2013 and should win one of the awards. Nominations close March 1st. And remember anyone can join the forum, only an introduction is required, and then make your nominations. **

**Full details can be found at the Narnia Still Lives Forum (the top forum when one clicks on The Chronicles of Narnia forums) under Honoring the Heroes: Nominating for the 2013 Fanfic Awards thread.**

**Lady Alambiel **

**Awards Coordinator**


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